Utica, N.Y. – The Utica Comets fell to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers by a score of 7-6 in overtime Friday night at the Adirondack Bank Center.
Reid Boucher struck 46 seconds into the game, burying a loose puck past Christopher Gibson. Jordan Subban and Cam Darcy picked up the assists. Steve Bernier tied the game with 8:23 remaining in the first period. Tanner Fritz and Kane Lafranchise had the assists. Scott Eansor put Bridgeport up 2-1 with a power play goal three minutes later, squeaking shot through Thatcher Demko. Bernier and Sebastian Aho had the assists.
Boucher tied the game at two 1:29 into the middle frame with a power play goal of his own. Jayson Megna had the lone assist. Joseph LaBate’s unassisted tally put the Comets up 3-2 two minutes later as the puck trickled through the legs of Gibson. Fritz tied the game at three less than two minutes later. Lafranchise was credited with the assist. Michael Chaput regained the lead for the Comets at the 10:47 mark of the second period. Boucher and Patrick Wiercioch had the assists on the power play goal. Casey Bailey knotted things up at four on the power play with less than four minutes to go in the second. Michael Dal Colle and Mitchell Vande Sompel had the assists.
Chaput netted his second of the night seven minutes into the third period. Zack MacEwen and Boucher collected the assists. Seth Helgeson tied the game at five just thirty seconds later from Fritz and Bernier. Toews gave Bridgeport a 6-5 lead with 7:30 to go in the game with a power play goal. Aho had the lone assist. Wiercioch tied it at six with 3:08 left in regulation. MacEwen picked up his second assist of the night on the goal. 60 minutes wasn’t enough to find a winner so the game would head to overtime.
Fritz scored the game-winning goal with seven seconds remaining in overtime, bouncing a puck off of Demko’s foot.
Demko finished with 33 saves and his record falls to 7-5-2. Gibson stopped 25 of 31 shots. His record improves to 8-4-0. The Comets power play went 2-5, while the penalty kill surrendered four goals in five attempts.
The Comets return to action tomorrow night for a rematch with the Sound Tigers. Puck drop from the Webster Bank Arena is at 7 p.m. The game can be heard on 94.9 KROCK and viewed on AHL Live.
